Rail Express – September 2019

Supplement No. 185 September 2019 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M25

GAUGE4mm:1ft REVIEW

00

ERA

1973to

present

Brand-newmodels of Mk.2f

air-conditioned coaching

stock havearrived from

Hornby,starting with models

dressed in classic Intercity

Executivelivery with central

doorlocking detail.

Apictu re that shows the flush glazing,

printed windowlabels and the finely

tooled underframe fittings which are

part ofaone-piece underframe

pan moulding.

Hornby’sbudgetMk.2f

Newtoolingsforthe

three standardMk.2f coaches

have been developedby Hornby

including theTSO, BSOand FO.

Conversions such as the DBSO arenot

included in therangeatthis time.

panels incorrectforthis

type of coach in the past.

Air-conditioned Mk.2 stock

is 66ft longoverthe end panels,

equating to 264mmin4mm scale. The

Hornbymodel is 260mm longoverthe

same panels and is 4mm shorter in the

underframe andoverthe retracted

buffers too.

Examining theroof:the ‘Roevac’

roof ventsappearoversiz eonall three

models, although assemblyisc orrect

in terms of the alignment of theroof

hatchwith underframe details and

toilet windows,aparticularl yimportant

pointforthe FO.The BSOexhibits a

slight depression in the middle of the

roof and oneTSOsample hasabow in

the body which is visible when viewed

alon gthe length of therain gutter.The

wrapround end doors showsigns of a

verticalline inboardofthe corner on

the TSOmodel too.

Underframes

Following thecommentsmade about the

HornbyMk.2e model,the underframe

paniswell secured to the body in all

three of the models andtheyride at the

correct height fr om t he rail.Tomatch

the body,theyare afew millimetrestoo

shortoverthe headstocks. Underframe

detailisr easonablywell doneforaone-

piece moulding.

The bogies arenew toolings and

have the correct damper detailfor this

type ofcoach. The detail is well defined

andwiththe right amountofdaylight

visible between theframes and the

bolste rdetail. Brakeshoes arenot fitted

in line with the wheels, being moulded

as in theone-piece bogie frames.

Footstepsare mouldedaspart of the

sideframes and NEM coupling pockets

areincorporated in the outer ends.

Wheels arestandardHornbymetal

discwheels of 12mm diameter fitted

with pinpointaxlesof25.5mm in length.

Thereissufficientroom betw eenthe

bogie sideframesforclose rtoscale

wheels. Thereisnoside playoft he wheel

sets in the bogies and all of the sample

coachesransmoothlywithoutwobble or

signs of out of true wheel sets.

Decoration

Intercity Executivelight grey is a

colour of considerable contention,

with virtuallyevery manufacturer

havingadifferent viewofit(post

1984 warningpanel yellowisanother

example). Either the colour is too light

whilst other shades have too much of

ayellowtint. Hornby’sinterpretation

of Intercity Executivelivery is not bad

at all compared to some, withagood

shade of Executivedark grey,ablack

roof,which is correct, and end body

panelspainted black with the edgejust

overlapping onto thedoor afraction

FEATURESwe like

■Tinted flush glazing.

■Interior detailwith correctly

modelled seats.

■Windowlabels.

■Correctdampers modelled on the

bogies.

■Available in severalrunning numbers.

■Budget price.

■Potentialforaffordable conversions.

The first batch of the

newmodels is decorated

in Intercity Executivelivery with

italic markings. The BSO is shown

viewedfromthe brakeend of the coach.

Cost

savings have

been achievedbyusing one-piece toolings

with moulded detailfor handrails and

otherfeatur es. TheTSOiss hown in this

picture.

MODELLERSnow have achoice of two
current‘OO’ gaugeMk.2f coach models
with therelease of Hornby’s brand-new
Tourist StandardOpen (TSO), First Open
(FO) and BrakeStandardOpen(BSO)
coaches, initiallyinI nter city Executive
livery with italictypeface markings.
The differencesbetween the
Bach mannand Hornbymodels is
stark;thelatter nothavingany of the
electrical and DCCinnovations applied to
the Bachmann models. The suggested
retailprice of the Hornby modelsisalso
cons iderabl yless, reflectingasimpler
design and lessinvolvedassembly
whichwillappealto acerta in sectionof
the D&E market.
The model is based on the final
design of the hugelysuccessful Mk.2
coachintroduced in the mid-1960s
following the XP64 trials. Mk.2f stock
entered service in 1973, equipped with
air-conditioning and up-to-date seating.
Interior finishes had progressed from
wood to melamine panels, lightening
the interior of the coaches compared
to earlier air-conditioned Mk.2 stock.
The success of the Mk.2f is
reflected in its long operating life,
eventuallybeing taken out of use on
the WCML andCross-Country services
in the early2000s with the introduction
of ‘Pendolino’ and ‘Voyager’ multiple
units, and on the Anglia main line as
Mk.3coacheswere cascaded from the
WCML.
Some Mk.2f stockremains in daily
mainline service at the time of writing,
includingasmall number operatedby
DRSfor ScotRailonF ifeCircle peak hour
trains andahandful of modifiedFOs
operating as sleeperreception cars with
Caledonian Sleepers (probablyreplaced
with CAFMk.5stock by the ti me you
read thisreview). Larger numbersremain
in use with private charter operators,
being seen on an infrequent basis,
dressed in numerous private liveries
and debranded train operating company
colours including VirginTrains redand
AngliaRailwaysteal.
NetworkRail acquired asmall
number of Mk.2f coaches which have
beenmodifiedforinstrumentation
andrecording use. The
remainder,

including GatwickExpress Class 488

sets were eitherexported or di sposedof

in theusualway.

Thereisnodoubt that Hornby

is wise to tap into the marketfor

air-conditioned coaches which offers

avastnumber of different liveries to

cover, particularlysince Privatisation.

Furthermore, loyaltytowardsthe

Hornbybrand is suretomakethem a

success. So, as brand-newmodels, how

do theymeasureup?

Bodyshells

The lowercostisreflected in the

way that detailisrepresented on the

models.Moulding hasbeenusedtokeep

assemblycosts down andhas affected

detai ls such astheend handrails,

commode handles,lamp irons, ETH

equipment andthe roof hatch loops.

Gangwaysare appliedas se parate

mouldings to thewell definedbodyshells

whichappear to beaccurate at first

inspection. Windowopenings have the

right curvatureatthe corners, have

fine windowframing andare 20mm

by 8.5mm in size,slightly too deep.

Detailingincludescentraldoor lock

(CDL)lights and releasehandleswhich

areprintedon themodel.Whilst printed

detail is not normallyseen as ideal;

printingmeans thatthe coaches are

easier to backdatetopre CDL times

without having toremove moulded

details.

Taking aruler to the models is

important because manufacturers

have gotthe lengthover the end body

Neat flush glazing is

fitted to all of the models

which is heavily tinted. Interior mouldings withwell

modelled seating is fitted alongside printed windowlabels.

The model sits at the correct height from

the rail and suits its B4 bogieswell. The

couplings arefitted to NEMcoupling

pockets in the ends of the

bogie frames.